A very strange build for critiquing.

[Tarek]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

Or, use Multiform with 3 different forms:

 

Sword Dominant w. Wielder

Wielder Dominant w. Sword

Sword Alone

 

And include "accidental change" or some similar effect to simulate the fact that sometimes the wielder is 'free' of the sword's influence. The first two forms are almost identical, except for the mental stats, while the third would, of course, be only the sword.

 

Then you can have the "Mind Control" power be solely part of the "Sword Alone" form, when it is looking for a new wielder. Include a trigger for the "Sword Alone" form: only when the current wielder dies.

 

Complex, yes, but not impossible.

[Robyn]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

Total Cost 350

50pts Disads required

 

I've ignored a few official rules to make it work,

 

I worked out a character very much like this one, with my GM, a few years back. I'll ask him if he kept any notes on the character (I don't remember much, since I never ended up actually playing it), but for now all I can give you is a good backstory. Also, we built the sword as a 250-point PC (100 base, 150 disads), and to my knowledge didn't break any rules, so you may find the build more useful. [My GM also insisted on taking a 3d6 Killing Attack as the sword's damage, not just the 1d6+1 recommended elsewhere on this thread, so you may be able to reduce even that 250 points!]

 

Come to think of it, I don't remember much of the backstory. I'll have to go see if I had any notes on it. I can tell you something about the weaknesses, though:

 

Enhancements to user's body were not optional - they took place as soon as a new wielder took up the blade. Extreme vulnerability to psychic attack, but only at touch range (blade could be detected from farther away, though), meaning that the sword was a weak psychic who only had a good chance of taking over weak wielders (not an assured success), a decent chance at experienced wielders, and a poor chance at the powerful. Because of the powers it gave, it was Hunted by psychics (the weak and the powerful alike), who wanted to use it for their own purposes. The sword itself was invulnerable to normal attacks (*winks at Lucius*), because it absorbed all kinetic energy to feed its own existence and special powers. Oh wait, that was an advantage, let me switch back. The spirit inside the sword had been driven mad by its long periods of not being wielded (no ranged telepathic attacks, no ability to sleep, no senses, all of which effectively left it in a sensory deprivation tank for centuries until it was unearthed), and unconsciously attempts to regain its sanity by shunting some of that off into the wielder through their telepathic link. Of course, since it has literally centuries of pent-up insanity to work through, I didn't bother to express this through a point pool, or suggest that the disadvantage could be bought off; it was just a permanent disadvantage. I took that as a Power to continually Transform the wielder, 1d6 per week, into Insanity (randomly selected Psychological Disadvantages), and noted that the sword would not be aware of it happening. As the wielder would gradually grow more insane, the sword would simply think that it was still adjusting to humanity and hadn't perceived or understood the wielder's already existing insanity before. The sword also had the option of not trying to take over the wielder's mind, and simply talking them into assistance, but only had one chance (ever) to take over their mind, and this was at the time that person first touched the sword. When taken over, the person would have no memory of their deeds, but the sword could not access the memories of its wielder, so it often relinquished control immediately after seizing it, leaving the wielder with a sensation of having blacked out, and hoping to work in concert with that person with the ability to completely take over in reserve. Unfortunately, anyone who had touched it, even for a moment, and were "taken over" (succumbed to the sword's mental attack) would have that mental link established to them, and could forever after "feel" the location of the sword in relation to their own. This meant that the sword was also Hunted by an ever-growing succession of former wielders who felt that they were each its sole rightful wielder, and destined to wield it again.

 

I hope these ideas last you until I can retrieve the backstory and/or more detailed design notes!

[Robyn]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

I forgot the most severe Disadvantage! Cannot Gain Experience, 25 points. We actually ended up changing this later on, but the GM still thought it was worth immense points. The sword can never gain any further powers, skills, etcetera.

 

Come to think of it' date=' I don't remember much of the backstory. I'll have to go see if I had any notes on it.[/quote']

 

25 - Exp to Followers

20 - Aversion/Killing of telepaths

5 - Reluctance to Kill

25 - Drug Addiction/Compulsion

25 - Quadroplegic

20 - No senses without wielder

15 - Reservoir of insanity

15 - Cannot perceive insanity

 

Special Effect:

When without wielder, * stats are infused with sword

When with wielder, * stats are conferred as bonus to Focus

 

Special Effect:

Presence is not always on; drops to 0 when with wielder, to avoid coveting

 

Str 10*

Dex 20*

Con 10*

Body 10*?

Ego 20

Int 35

Pre 20

Com 20

 

Sword is 3d6 HKA,

[Tab] Obvious Accessible Focus (wielder).

 

Confers Skill to handle sword of Familiarity

 

Missile Deflection, with sword only (SE)

 

[Tab] +5 CV with Missile Deflection,

[Tab] Extended Time (full phase, not half),

[Tab] simultaneous -5 to DCV

 

Martial Block, with sword only (SE)

Disarm, with sword only (SE)

 

+3 levels of Mental OCV.

 

Continuous Cumulative Transform

[Tab] Always on (continuous/uncontrollable)

[Tab] No conscious awareness

[Tab] 1d6 minor transformation

[Tab] Based on mental OCV

[Tab] Only when mental contact is successfully made

[Tab] Damage Shield (automatic hit if telepathic attack continues)

 

Insubstantial, Shared Immunities (SE)

[Tab] Always On

[Tab] Current and past Followers are immune.

[Tab] No Visible Power Effect

[Tab] Attacks Only

 

 

Forgot to buy actual Mind Control attack; balance it out with Confer Physical Traits, skills, maneveurs, etcetera, automatic and uncontrollable?

 

Translation of all this:

 

Experience is gained by the wielder even when the sword completely takes over their mind and forces them to do things. This almost makes their relationship a symbiotic one.

 

The sword is terrified of those with mental powers, because of the threat they pose to it, but when confronted with them in combat will take any opportunity to end their life immediately. Yes, this does conflict with the light Reluctance to Kill (which is there partially to prevent the sword from simply killing all of the former wielders who came after it).

 

I don't remember what the Drug Addiction/Compulsion was, I'll have to think about it some more and ask my GM if he remembers anything.

 

The high (20) Presence is partially from being such a well-crafted blade, partially from being perfectly intact, and partially for all the gems and glittery ornamentation which have been added to it in the past by wielders who thought their sword should look much nicer (these can be destroyed, or removed, and sometimes the sword has found itself being wielded by a thief who wasn't even thinking of it as a useful weapon).

 

The three levels of Mental OCV (and note that this does not include DCV!) are there to basically assure the sword's chances of taking over any normal person. But trained martial artists have probably developed intense discipline, and are much stronger-willed than the average person!

 

The Transform is its insanity, and it needs to have a mental link either to its wielder to inflict some of its insanity upon that person; but any telepath even trying to scan its mind is going to be partially driven insane by the contact. I think in this final version, the sword could be psychically attacked at range, but with the risk of insanity it wouldn't be worth much; the psychic still couldn't gain anything from the sword unless physically present to take advantage of its powers, and the sword couldn't do anything itself to switch owners or even to move physically closer!

 

Last but not least, and arguably worst, is that anyone who has previously wielded the sword has the power to destroy it!!!

[ghost-angel]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

As far as size goes, probably. Regarding weight, I'm perfectly happy to ascribe any arbitrary weight and gleefully ignore any system mechanics that might claim I should do otherwise.

 

Thanks for everybody's input so far. I have much to think about.

Actually - the current Official Method of a permanent weight/size change is to just SAY it. You choose the height and weight of your character.

 

Now - to gain benefits of this size change you should use a combination of Powers and Physical Disadvantages...

 

such as a small character should take

Physical Disadvatage: Extra Knockback.

Powers: +X with Concealment (Self Only).

 

See the Beastiary for an extensive discussion on simulating character size.

 

But in the end you just pick a size.

[Robyn]

Actual backstory

 

Come to think of it' date=' I don't remember much of the backstory. I'll have to go see if I had any notes on it.[/quote']

 

No notes, so I'm just going from memory, here:

 

The PC was once a very powerful wizard (note the high Intelligence) who, through a desire to be immortal or to bequeath a powerful reward to some warrior who had saved the magi's life, transferred a spirit from the body to a sword.

 

See, now wasn't that quick and merciful? I'll hope to gather more backstory hints from my GM. In the meantime, tell the player that he has amnesia as part of his mind's attempt to block out the crushing weight of the centuries spent alone (just don't tell him about the insanity part - heh, heh). This means you have both the leisure to make up his backstory at your inspiration, and the freedom to make it something really evil

 

By the way, the sword doesn't have a choice about making its "followers" immune to the Invulnerability effect; remember that it absorbs kinetic energy, so if it didn't make them able to transfer kinetic energy into it for motion, not "mystic life energy", its "wielders" would never be able to move the blade. Once made immune, they can never be changed back (the spell only works one way), so it works for past as well as current wielders.

 

If you have points left over (and it sounds like you would, with that point base), give the wizard the ability to cast spells; as a sword it can't move to gesture or speak to incant, but if it takes direct control of the wielder, it may be able to cast spells "through" them. Of course, some negotiation may be necessary to get the wielder to accept this, if the sword is taking the "pretend to just be a sentient blade made to serve its owner and with no powers to control you whatsoever" route, since the wielder would still have no memory of what had happened.

[prestidigitator]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

I forgot the most severe Disadvantage! Cannot Gain Experience' date=' 25 points. We actually ended up changing this later on, but the GM still thought it was worth immense points. The sword can never gain any further powers, skills, etcetera.[/quote']

Ahh!! I am so against doing that kind of thing! Choices about character advancement should be between the player and the GM, not reflected in the actual system itself! To each his/her own, I guess....

[Robyn]

Re: A very strange build for critiquing.

 

25 - Drug Addiction/Compulsion

 

Okay, my GM reminded me of what this was: the Drug Addiction/Compulsion affects the wielder, and basically makes them obsessed with the sword - they won't put it down, must use it all the time, will seek to recover it if lost or stolen, etcetera. This explains why the sword is being Hunted by its past wielders, at any rate.